1. Field of the Invention
The present invention is directed to a shoe with an improved closure and fit system, and in particular, a system including straps that are independently attached to an elastic material secured about the sides of the shoe.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Numerous closure means are known in the prior art for securing or fitting a shoe to a foot. The most common and relatively simple technique is the use of a lacing system. In a simple form of a lacing system, the upper is split down its middle bisecting the area above the instep, and eyelets are located along either side of the split. A lace is passed through the eyelets and crisscrossed across the split from the bottom of the split to the top of the split. By pulling on the upper free ends of the lace, the split portions of the upper are drawn toward one another and the shoe is tightened to the foot.
There are many variations to this basic form of lacing system. For example, the eyelets can be located at various widths across the split in the upper such as shown in U.S. Pat. No. 4,255,876, or the use of speed laces in combination with a variable width lacing such as disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,553,342, both recited patents are hereby incorporated by reference herein.
The use of straps in shoe lacing systems is also known in the an. Straps have been used in shoes as a replacement for conventional laces, or as an adjunct to a lacing system. U.S. Pat. No. 4,486,965 is an example of the use of straps as a replacement for conventional laces, and is hereby incorporated by reference herein. In this patent, straps are formed as an integral extension of the upper material and include hook and pile fasteners on the outer surface of the upper.
Shoes including the use of straps as part of lacing systems are also known in the art. U.S. Pat. No. 2,147,197 discloses a shoe having an elastic upper which uses straps in conjunction with laces as the shoe tightening system. In a first embodiment, the shoe has a blucher saddle disposed in the arch area with lace eyelets on its upper end. The blucher saddle is attached at its lower end to the elastic upper. The blucher saddle is disclosed in the specification as being made of rubber as its preferred material. Moreover, it is stated that some or all of the parts applied to the upper in the first embodiment described and in the other embodiments may in some cases be made of any other suitable material, such as fabric or leather. It is further disclosed that the rubber used may be unenforced or reinforced by, for instance, fabric. In another embodiment, straps extend upward from the sole over an elastic upper and have eyelets on their upper ends. Additionally, there is a heel strap attached to the heel counter which also has eyelets on its forward ends. The straps are disclosed as being made of rubber.
Straps can also be used in conjunction with laces to augment the primary lace tightening system. The use of laces in such shoes can be for the purpose of providing additional ankle support. Examples of such strap uses include U.S. Pat. No. 4,922,630, hereby incorporated by reference herein, and U.S. Pat. No. 3,613,273.
The closure systems discussed above do not offer a suitable amount of customizing when securing a shoe to a foot to take into account the different anatomical features of an individual wearer.